AI Actress Tilly Norwood Isn’t Real — But Hollywood Might Sign Her Anyway

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Every so often-perhaps once or twice every few decades-Hollywood finds an actress who appears to possess everything: good looks, elegance, and the ability to succeed in action films, comedies, and critically acclaimed dramas. Historically, “developing” a star has meant discovering and enhancing an innate gift. However, Tilly Norwood, an AI “actress,” might completely change what that word-and the entire industry-means.

Hollywood hits back as AI actress is hailed as ‘the next Scarlett Johansson’

The woman you’re looking at appears completely lifelike, just like any other person, but she isn’t.
She’s a digitally created performer named Tilly Norwood, and she’s quickly gained attention after entering the public eye…

— Evan Kirstel #B2B #TechFluencer (@EvanKirstel) September 29, 2025

If the rumors are true, Hollywood is seriously considering giving it a chance.

Who – Or What – Is an AI Actress?

Tilly Norwood is a performer created using artificial intelligence. She was developed by Particle6, a production studio in London founded in 2015 by Eline van der Velden. Particle6’s website states that the company is “seamlessly blending AI innovation with traditional filmmaking to push the boundaries of what’s possible.​”

Last month at the Zurich Film Festival, van der Velden introduced Xicoia, a studio that uses AI to create talent. Besides developing Tilly Norwood, Xicoia is collaborating with established Hollywood actors and the representatives of deceased performers. They aim to make actors appear younger or revive iconic performers for films, giving studios fresh options for using and expanding on their existing content, as reported by Deadline.

As AI-powered performers become commonplace, people will likely have to consider what’s more acceptable: AI personalities that were once active but are now retired, or entirely artificial creations like Tilly Norwood, who only exist as digital code. Regardless, talent agencies are prepared to represent these AI performers. At least for the time being.

A Star is Generated

Tilly Norwood has gained 46.1K followers on Instagram since creating an account last May. Her bio says, “You’ll either get it or pretend you don’t. I’m a creation,” and identifies her as an “Actress (aspiring).” Earlier in the year, actress Maya Hawke suggested that film casts are now often assembled based on the total number of social media followers the actors have. Other celebrities have expressed similar views.

Do Stars Like Scarlett Johansson and Maya Hawke Also Need To Be Insta-Famous Now?

— Collider (@Collider) March 18, 2025

Tilly Norwood seems well-positioned to break into the film industry. Thanks to improvements in technology and her active social media following, Tilly Norwood may become the first actress created with artificial intelligence to star in a movie released in theaters. According to van der Velden, an announcement about the agency that will represent her is expected within the next few months.

Several talent agents are apparently discussing signing Tilly Norward, an AI “actress” developed by the AI talent studio Xicoia.

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— Film Updates (@FilmUpdates) September 27, 2025

According to Deadline, if the deal goes through, Norwood would be among the first AI-created performers to be represented by a talent agency, which usually works with human actors. This raises the question of how established actors-those who became famous through traditional routes (like being born, relocating to Hollywood, and attending auditions)-will react to sharing an agency with an AI actress?

Reactions

When Variety reporter was there, Emily Blunt first heard about Tilly Norwood. The actress, who has been nominated for an Oscar, was completely shocked.

“Is that an AI? Oh dear, we’re in trouble,” she exclaimed. “Please, agencies, don’t do this. Please stop. Please stop eroding our human connections.”

Other performers were quick to voice their concerns, pointing out how problematic it looked to promote a virtual young woman completely controlled by another person. They also highlighted that these AI-created images could be made using the appearances of actresses who are currently unable to find work.

A number of talent agents want to represent Tilly Norwood. However, Tilly Norwood doesn’t actually exist-she was created using artificial intelligence. This possible turning point for the entertainment industry is causing concern among many Hollywood actors.

— FORTUNE (@FortuneMagazine) October 1, 2025

As a supporter of SAG-AFTRA, I was really encouraged by their recent statement about Tilly Norwood and the larger issue of performers finding work. They started by saying that SAG-AFTRA believes creativity is, and should remain, human-centered. It’s so important, and they made it clear that the union is opposed to the replacement of human performers by synthetics. It’s a vital point to emphasize – we need to protect the work of real actors!

It sounds like something out of Blade Runner—yet it’s happening in present-day Hollywood.

The Reality

In response to the blowback, van der Velden took to Instagram with a statement.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Eline Van Der Velden (@elinehq)

Responding to criticism about her AI character, Tilly Norwood, Van der Velden explained that Tilly isn’t meant to replace a person, but is instead a creative project-a work of art. She likened AI to established storytelling techniques such as puppetry, animation, and CGI, describing it as “another way to imagine and build stories.” Comments on the post have been disabled.

If Tilly Norwood had been presented just as a new development in puppetry, animation, or CGI-rather than as someone who could replace human actresses-the reaction probably wouldn’t have been so strong. Now that actors are voicing their concerns publicly, talent agencies need to figure out if they will support digital performers or let AI “talent” remain with the programmers and digital puppeteers who create them.

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2025-10-05 16:59